On Sunday, the Israeli government banned its citizens from traveling to several European countries on the red list, including Portugal, and acknowledged the possibility of including the United States, to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant of covid-19.
And Agence France-Presse reported that the travel restrictions, which have already affected most African countries, as well as Great Britain and Denmark, have now been extended to Spain, Portugal, Finland, France, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates.
The Israeli Ministry of Health also recommended adding Germany, Belgium, Hungary, Italy, Morocco, Switzerland and Turkey, as well as the United States of America to the red list, despite the presence of hundreds of thousands of dual nationals.
This new proposal has not been approved by the government.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has defended these travel restrictions to prevent resorting to new roadblocks.
“Time is running out. European countries have imposed a blockade or are preparing to do so,” he said today, before a cabinet meeting.
Travelers from red-listed countries are denied entry to Israel, with some exceptions.
Israeli citizens and residents of a red-listed country will be required to self-quarantine for a week after their return.
More than 440 cases of the Omicron variant were detected in Israel, one month after it was identified in South Africa.
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